My Sister the Soldier
by AmazingLadar
Summary: Beatrice finally works up the courage to ask The Doctor about a very particular date, only to discover her worst nightmare is coming true. Second in the Ashburn series, Sequel of Guardian Angel.
1. May 14th, 1861

**Hello lovelys! This is the second of the Ashburn Series, a sequel of Guardian Angel. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do.**

**This is another rewrite, and just like with Guardian Angel, the original version can be found on my profile and will be taken down 24 hours after I finish writing this one. This one won't be too different from the original as I'm not entirely displeased with the original. Some details will be changed though.**

**Short chapter to start with, they'll get longer.**

**Please review! You know you want to…**

* * *

Beatrice and the Doctor ran like hell. They put every ounce of energy they still possessed into their legs and forced it to move as quickly as possible, on foot ahead of the other. They ran and they ran, until finally the TARDIS was in view. When the Doctor was close enough, he started snapping his fingers frantically, wishing with all his might for the doors to swing open. At the last possible second, they did just that. The Doctor quickly let Beatrice take him over and speed in through the doors. He quickly followed, closing the TARDIS doors behind him and locking it quickly. He then ran to his console and started to push in new coordinates to get away from there.

It wasn't until they both heard the comforting sound of the TARDIS engine that they could both finally relax. Beatrice looked up to make eye contact with the Doctor, and when they did, they both burst out into laughter. Beatrice could hardly hold herself up and resorted to sitting down on the floor, clutching her stomach as she did. The Doctor, on the other hand, maintained his ground, though he did have an unnecessarily strong grip on the console.

"I can't believe you did that!" Beatrice said when her laughing had calmed.

"It wasn't on purpose!" The Doctor defended.

"You stepped on that poor dog's tail!"

"I didn't technically step on it. And it wasn't technically a dog."

"It grew to six feet tall and got a second head before chasing us for ten minutes!" Beatrice started laughing again, still finding this world where aliens like _that_ actually existed.

"Some might say he overreacted." Beatrice laughed harder.

"That poor nose-less dog…"

"Don't call them that, Beatrice" The Doctor said with a small smile. "They take offense to that. They're Barcelonians."

"Well, I must admit" Beatrice said, finally settling down. "Up until then. Barcelona was a truly wonderful planet." The Doctor smiled at her.

"I thought you might like it. Where to next? All of time and space to choose from, Beatrice Ashburn. Where should we go next?" Beatrice smile and stared at the crazy man before her. She thought about it, she really though. But only one date came to mind. One date that both terrified her and made her more and more curious.

"_In the meantime, when you get the chance, ask him about the date May 14th 1861."_

She had tried not to let that date overrule her every waking thought, but somehow it did. She didn't know the woman who had given her the warning. Quite frankly, she didn't _want_ to know her. While Beatrice's mother had always told her never to judge a book by its cover, that woman was not someone Beatrice could see herself trusting in the immediate future.

"_I'm _dying_. And I'm using my last words as a warning."_

And yet… that always sent shivers down her spine. She didn't want to trust that woman, but it was hard not to fully embrace the warning. It seemed like a real warning, not a threat or any sign of trickery. It seemed like a good and honest warning. And that was what terrified her the most.

"_There were others. Just like you, they followed him blindly into his little blue box and flew away with him. They all end up hurt, one way or another. Some get lost, some leave by choice, and some die. And you're next."_

That had replayed in her mind over and over again. It had taken a lot for Beatrice to finally trust the Doctor, and every minute she did she was terrified that he would only end up hurting her. Hurting her like all the others had. Hurting her like he had done to so many before her. And if she was so terrified of being hurt, why was she trusting him? Ever since she had the warning from that woman, that one question kept running around in her head. Why was she trusting him?

"_The Doctor. He's not to be trusted. Think about it. What has he actually told you? About anything?"_

And what _had_ he told her? He didn't tell her how he knew about her, he just showed her her family. He didn't tell her who he was, or what he was (that part had just slipped out by accident). He didn't tell her how he found her, or how he knew she was in danger. He hadn't told her anything, not even his name. So why was she trusting him?

But then again… why was she trusting that woman? That woman knew her name, and obviously knew something about the Doctor, and yet Beatrice didn't know how. And she left in such a hurry, as if she didn't want to be spotted by the Doctor. So why was Beatrice taking her word over his? She need answers. To all her questions. It would take time, it might even take a lot of persuasion and possibly bribing. She'd have to start simple.

"I have a specific date in mind, actually" Beatrice spoke up.

"Do you? Future, past –"

"Past. Definitely past."

"Oh, so you're a history buff then?"

"Actually, just the contrary. History was my worst subject. I nearly failed my GCSE." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. What date then?"

"May 14th, 1861." And the look on his face was all the proof she needed. Every doubt she had in her mind that the woman was lying was gone. Every worry that the date would hold something terrible for her was confirmed. The Doctor looked at her in horror, as if she just spoke the worst words in the world. It was almost as if this one date was all of his worst nightmares put together. And Beatrice was terrified, but if it had something to do with her, as she suspected it might to, she needed to know.

"Why that date?" The Doctor asked.

"A little birdie told me it might be an interesting date for me." The Doctor held Beatrice's stare for a moment, not wanting to be the first to break eye contact. But eventually, it all became too much for him. He turned his gaze away and started to walk around the console.

"No, the past is boring. The future, now that's something you all find interesting. What the world will be like, what life for mankind will eventually turn into. _That's_ what you humans always want to know. So, how about the year –"

"1861" Beatrice cut in, with more force this time. The Doctor stopped his pacing, finally understanding he couldn't walk away from this one. "Whatever you're hiding from me, Doctor… whatever you think you're protecting me from in that date… I deserve to know." The Doctor opened his mouth to retort, but Beatrice cut him off. "_Especially_ if it has something to do with me."

"Fine" The Doctor said at last, and Beatrice smiled as the victor. "I'll take you there. But in return, you have to tell me how you knew about that date." Her smile faded.

"Why?"

"Whatever you're hiding from me, Beatrice… whatever you think you're protecting me from… I deserve to know." And hearing her exact words thrown right back at her was like a slap in the face. Beatrice opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor cut her off. "_Especially_ if it has something to do with me." Beatrice just stared at him, still lost as to what to say. "I need to be able to trust you, Beatrice" The Doctor added.

"Trust me?" Beatrice asked. "You know everything _about_ me."

"No, I don't know _every_thing about you. Not even you know everything about you. And besides, _knowing_ someone doesn't mean you trust them. You could know everything there is to know about someone and still find them the most untrustworthy person in the world. At the same time, you could trust someone you know absolutely nothing about. And Beatrice… it's very important that I'm able to trust you. Because if you continue travelling with me, then one day, my life may very well lie in your hands."

"No pressure then" Beatrice joke, and managed to get a smile out of the Doctor. "Okay" she said at last. "Show me what's so important about that date, and I'll tell you how I know about it. I promise."

"Okay, May 14th, 1861" The Doctor said almost sadly as he moved around the TARDIS console. Beatrice stared at him, the contrast between now and when he was talking about Barcelona only too painfully clear. He looked up at Beatrice with sad eyes, despite the smile on his face. "Geronimo."


	2. The Soldier

**Hello lovelys! I apologize for the super late update. Medical reasons kept me from writing (and therefore updating). **

**From now on, I'm really going to try to update weekly on Wednesdays. I'm really going to try.**

**So yes, that is all, please review! You know you want to.**

* * *

The sound of the TARDIS engine was the only sound that could be heard in the empty field. The wheezing sound of it landing sounded out through the fields before the little blue box appeared. Inside, the Doctor straightened up and stared at Beatrice sadly.

"Well, here we are," he said sadly. "Just as you wanted, May 14th, 1861." And suddenly, Beatrice was terrified of what may lie outside those doors. She didn't want to know anymore. For a moment, she just wanted to forget about the whole ordeal and carry on travelling with the mad man that stood before her. But she _needed_ to know.

"You could just _tell_ me what happens," Beatrice said softly. The Doctor truly debated that option for a second. It would be easier than if she were to just find out. But no, she needed to find out on her own.

"No. I can't. But I can show you." The Doctor snapped his fingers and the doors of the TARDIS swun open.

Beatrice was terrified to find out what exactly this date was about. She was terrified to walk out those doors and learn what she knew she wouldn't want to learn. She was terrified to finally see the Doctor in a completely different light than the one she was currently holding him in. But, this was important. This one day could tell Beatrice everything she ever wondered about the Doctor. She could finally have the answers to all her questions. While the thought of what some of those asnwers could be terrified her, she needed them. So swallowing her fear and worries, she walked out the TARDIS doors, the Doctor following closely behind her.

When the two of them walked out, all they could see was green. The green of the fields spreading out as far as the eye could see and trees forming a small woods spreading out around the perimeter. Beatrice waited for the Doctor to start leading the way, and together they walked into the woods. They walked together in silence for what seemed like hours, before the Doctor stopped quickly.

"This is as far as I go," he said. "I can't be seen, unfortunately. Keep walking straight down the path we were following. You'll find yourself at a campsite. Tell them that Sergeant Smith sent you with a message for Michael Ashburn."

Beatrice stared at the Doctor for a second longer in confusion, before finally askin," Sergeant Smith? Ashburn? Doctor, what's going on?"

There was no smile on the Doctor's face, just eyes filled with an apology and guilt. "Go find out, Beatrice."

She hesitantly turned her back to the Doctor, and finally started to make her way down the path. She knew she wouldn't want to know the answers to her questions. She knew she wouldn't like them. But if it involved anyone in her family, she also knew that she needed to know, whether she liked what was happening or not.

* * *

It had taken around fifteen minutes before Beatrice finally found herself at the campsite that the Doctor was talking about. As she walked through, she could feel every single pair of eyes fall on her and as she looked around, she finally realised why. It was a war campsite. There were guns and men in uniform sitting around different tents. As Beatrice went deeper inside the campsite, she also noted that she was, in fact, the only girl in the entire campsite. Probably the only girl for miles around. She quickly looked down at the clothes she was wearing, only just realising the time period she was in. And, yep, there it was. That just made everything worse. Beatrice was wearing jeans shorts, sandals and a short sleeved shirt. Not exactly what the typical woman of the nineteenth century would wear.

It didn't take long before one of the men from the campsite finally stood up and approached her.

"Well, hi there, missy," the man said, his voice thick in an American accent.. "You shouldn't be here. Don't you know there's a war going on?"

"Oh, yeah," Beatrice said. "I gathered, what with all the guns. Judging by your thick accent, I'd say we're in America. Where, I just don't know. I'm not that familiar with the accents here. So let's see, America, nineteenth century, war… I knew I should have paid more attention in class…"

"Miss?" the man asked, worry slowly spreading in his face.

"Civil War!" Beatrice blurted out at last. The man blinked twice, confused and worried about this strange girl.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked, at last. "This is no place for a lady. I suggest you go whichever way you came from and stay there."

"I have a message from Sergeant Smith," Beatrice blurted out. The man raised an eyebrow.

"But he left just five minutes ago. How can he already have news?" Beatrice hesitated then continued.

"I need to speak with Michael." The man turned and whistled to a man.

"Michael! Message from Sergeant Smith!" just then, a big, bulky man approached her.

"What?" he asked very harshly.

"Michael _Ashburn_?" she asked. The giant laughed out loud.

"Hey, TINY!" he yelled. "a message from John Smith!" the giant made his way back to the circle of men. Beatrice kept her eyes open and saw a small boy approach her.

"Yeah?" Michael asked. Beatrice stared at him. There was something so familiar about him. It was there, in the back of her head. She was sure she knew this man from somewhere.. "Um... hello?" Beatrice looked into his eyes, as if she were hoping he'd give her the answer. Any answer would do. She was positive that she met this man before. "A message from Smith?" Beatrice still didn't say a word, only focused on trying to find out where the _hell_ she knew this man from. "Alright. Well, you're messed up. I'm going to leave now." Michael turned to leave.

"You're not from here... are you?" Beatrice finally asked. Michael turned to face her again, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Where did _that_ come from?

"No. I'm from England."

"That's a long way from home."

"Great observational skills." Beatrice gasped as she finally pinpointed where she knew him from.

"Maya" she said barely above a whisper. Michael suddenly turned very serious. "Maya Ashburn" Beatrice said a little louder.

"Shut up" Michael hissed.

"You're an awful way away from home. What are you doing here? This isn't even your fight. You shouldn't be here. You _really_ shouldn't be here! You could _die_! Maya, why would you even _risk_ this? What would mum and dad say?"

"SHUT UP!" Michael yelled before he shoved Beatrice to the ground. As she fell, she hit her head on one of the inconveniently place stones around. All the men around them who had witnessed Michael's outburst stood up and went to Beatrice's assistance. She looked up to see all the men arguing with eachother and yelling Michael.

No, that wasn't right. It wasn't Michael. It was Maya. It was Beatrice's little sister, her wonderful, sweet, innocent little sister. Her sister who she was separated from at such a young age. Her sister who she last saw at age ten. Her sister the soldier. Her sister who would surely die in battle.

It was all too much for Beatrice. The pain in her head from where the stone had hit put together with the absolute shock of finding her sister, in a war campsite of all places, overpowered each and every strand of willpower Beatrice had. She couldn't handle any of this, and so she allowed herself to slip into unconsciousness.

Her sister the soldier. How in the hell was she supposed to protect her now?


	3. Saving Maya

**Hello lovelys! **

**Sorry for the delay, things came up. I'm not going to make any promises any more with how frequently I update. Just know that this fic is now finished and the next fic in the series has started, so now it **_**shouldn't**_** take too long between updates.**

**Please review! It is a bit upsetting to see I don't even have a single review yet…**

* * *

Beatrice wasn't unconscious for long, though she did stay in her own tent and act like she was. She just didn't have the energy to deal with everything yet. After all, she had just found out that her sister, her own little sister, is now a soldier. She is going to fight in a war that isn't even her own, and she will die. Beatrice knew it, Maya would die in this war. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but she will die in this war.

She knew she wouldn't be able to handle the truth. She knew that if she were to find out what happened to her family she wouldn't be happy. She knew all this, but still she insisted on finding out. And she knew why she had to know. The only thing she didn't quite understand yet was what the Doctor had to do with all of this. Why was he so hesitant in bringing her here? Why was this something he couldn't just tell her? Beatrice knew she wouldn't be happy with the answers, but just like when it came to her family, it was something she had to know.

It didn't take much longer for the tent entrance to flap open and Maya entered. She immediately stopped where she stood as she noticed Beatrice still lying on the floor. Beatrice sat up to look at her sister, more than happy to just focus on the one problem at hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Maya said quickly.

"I was already awake," Beatrice assured her. An awkward silence filled the tent for a moment. Maya shifted around for a bit, unsure how to proceed with the conversation. After a bit of debating, she finally offered her hand to Beatrice.

"I'm Michael," She introduced herself. "Michael Ashb –"

"I know very well who you are," Beatrice quickly cut her off. "And it's _not_ Michael Ashburn, so don't play me like an idiot." Maya just slowly and awkwardly put her hand down.

"Look," Maya said, starting to give up on this chat. "Sergeant Smith told me to apologize, so here I am."

"That's not a very good apology."

"Well, I don't care. I did it. That's what counts. Smith wanted me to and I did. So there." She turned to leave.

"Who _is_ John Smith?" Maya stopped and turned.

"I thought you said you came on an errand from him."

Now she'd done it. "Yeah, I did," Beatrice said quickly, trying to do some damage control. "I just… um…"

"You have no idea who he is, do you?" Maya asked. Beatrice could only shake her head. Now Maya really started to panic. "Who _are_ you?" she demanded. "Where did you even come from? How do you know so much about me? And why the hell are you dressed like that?"

Beatrice was lost for words. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "Please just trust me, I'm a friend. I'm trying to help." and Beatrice finally understands how the Doctor feels when it comes to her. To know so much about someone because of your history together, but not being able to say anything. To try so hard to earn their trust, because after all you _know_ them, only to be brutally shut out. It was hard.

"Just leave me alone," Maya insisted. "You'll only make things worse."

"How could I possibly make things worse?" Beatrice asked. "You don't belong here, Maya. You're going to get yourself killed."

"No, _you're_ going to get me killed! What do you think they'll do when they find out – " Maya stopped talking abruptly, looked around, and quickly lowered her voice. "When they find out I'm a girl?" she whispered.

"I… never thought about that," Beatrice admitted.

"Of course you didn't," Maya said. "Just… go away." And with that, Maya turned to make her leave.

"Maya, wait," Beatrice called after her. She stood up and followed Maya outside of the tent. Maya pushed through a crowd of people and kept on walking further into the campsite. Beatrice followed, trying to call out to her sister again, trying to get her to just listen to her. But no luck. Maya turned the corner, and Beatrice had to almost run to keep up and not lose her. And when Beatrice rounded the corner herself, she wished she hadn't. What she saw sent a knife right into her back. There he was. That was how it was all tied together. This was why the woman warned Beatrice about this day, about that impossible man.

The Doctor, the one and only Doctor, was standing there talking to her sister. He had a wardrobe change, a haircut and, yes, he looked slightly different, but different in a way that only time could change a person. The Doctor knew her sister.

It didn't take long before the two of them noticed Beatrice just standing there. The Doctor smiled at Beatrice, but other than that, nothing. There was no hint of recognition. There was no apologetic smile. He just walked up to her and offered his head.

"Hello," he said happily. "I'm John Smith. I see you've met Michael –"

"Maya," Beatrice instinctually corrected. "And your name isn't John Smith." There was still no recognition in his eyes. Maybe a bit of worry or confusion, but no recognition. Beatrice then realised that this wasn't her Doctor, not yet. He still hadn't met her. Which just made everything worst. "I have to go," Beatrice muttered before turning away from him. She made her way back to the path she had originally come from. She stopped for just a second, trying to make sense of everything, but it was pointless. She needed to hear it from the Doctor himself. So with that thought in mind, she took off in a sprint to her Doctor.

* * *

It seemed like hours before Beatrice finally found herself in the same place she had said goodbye to the Doctor in the first place. She called out several times in panic before the blue box she had grown to love so much materialized in front of her. The Doctor casually walked out and stared at Beatrice, an apology ready in his eyes.

"No need to shout, Beatrice," The Doctor tried joking. "I was only moving our transportation a little closer. Plus, I wanted something entertaining while I waited for –"

"You were there," Beatrice cut him off. "In the campsite, with my _sister_! You were there!"

"Yes, I was," the Doctor said. "Was. Past tense. I was there in the past."

"Yes, I gathered," Beatrice said icily.

"That's why I can't go with you to the campsite. I can't cross my own timeline. Not unless I want a paradox, which I definitely don't. I've had far too many in one lifetime, I certainly don't need another."

Beatrice stared at the Doctor, not even pretending to understand what he was talking about this time. "What were you _doing_ there?" she decided to ask.

"I was helping her."

"Helping her _what_? If she stays here she's going to get herself killed!" The Doctor didn't say anything in response. He just stared at her with apologetic eyes and pursed his lips together. "No," Beatrice muttered as she realised what his look meant. "When?" she asked. "When does she die?"

"Tonight," he answered softly. Beatrice let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and her hand flew out to a nearby tree to support herself. "There will be a battle in the clearing and Maya will be one of the first to be shot down."

"And you were there," Beatrice said. "You could have helped."

"I tried to help her. I really did but… there was nothing I can do. She died almost immediately, I was too late."

"It's not too late," Beatrice whispered as she realised just who she was talking to. "You've got a time machine! Go to the campsite and tell Maya to go with you. She'll listen to you! You can take her to the TARDIS and take her back to our parents!"

The Doctor just looked at her in the exact same way as he had before. That was the exact moment when Beatrice's heart broke.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Beatrice muttered. She could feel the tears that were about to fall, but she tried with all her might to keep them back. "This has to be some sick, sick joke!"

"It's the 19th century, Beatrice," The Doctor said quietly. "People didn't live quite as long as they do now. I'm sorry."

"Then save Maya," Beatrice insisted. "My whole family is gone. Just save one of them, please. Save Maya."

"I can't, Beatrice."

"Why not?" she hissed.

"Don't you understand? Don't you see the paradox this would cause? Someone who is supposed to be dead will be alive. That should never happen. I'm sorry, Beatrice, I really am, but tonight is the night that Maya dies."

Beatrice recoiled as if she had been slapped. And honestly, she wished she was. She would have been slapped a hundred times over if it meant that she could change this day. In hindsight, she knew how she could have, but it was much too late now. But if she had known then… if she had only known.

"If I knew…" Beatrice said to herself softly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, "if you knew what?"

"If I knew that that was going to be the last time I saw my parents, I would have said something to them. If I knew that that was the last time I spoke to my sister before she decided to go on this suicide mission, I would have told her who I was," Beatrice's head snapped up and she stared the Doctor down, the tears now overflowing and freely falling down her cheeks, "But most of all, Doctor, if I knew that travelling with you meant watching my sister die, meant losing my whole family, I would have NEVER agreed to it!"

The Doctor didn't say anything. What could he say? What could he possibly say that would make this situation any better? What could he possibly say that would ease Beatrice's pain and suffering?

"You know," Beatrice continued, "It's one thing to think that your family abandoned you as a child. That, I could deal with. It's a completely different thing to find out that your family never stopped loving you, but that they died before they got to know you. It's one thing to think that your sister disappeared. It's a completely different thing to know she dies in a war she wasn't even born in to! And dammit Doctor, it's one thing to be told she dies and a completely different and cruel thing to _show_ someone how their family dies. To let them watch in the side-lines and not _allow_ them to save their family. So screw you, Doctor. If you won't save Maya, then I will!" Without waiting for the Doctor to try and stop her, she started marching down the old path to the campsite.

"Beatrice," The Doctor called after her, "You can't!"

"Watch me!" she yelled back.

"It will cause a paradox!"

"Come and stop me then!"

Knowing very well that the doctor wouldn't move an inch towards her, Beatrice continued down the path. He didn't want to cause a paradox. Crossing his own timeline, just as he had said only minutes ago, would definitely cause a paradox.

"I'm coming, Maya," Beatrice whispered to herself, before breaking into a run.


End file.
